Prologue
Generations have passed since faith ruled man and man ruled machine. After the Universal War, religion seemed to simply disappear. Man turned to science to fill the void left by spirituality. In this new and sterile philosophy, skepticism is revered while belief is admonished. Survival of the fittest has left the realm of the physical to be overthrown completely by the intellectual. It was in this way that in this era, the most aporetic and rigorous minds have risen to power and man and machine exist in nearly complete symbiotic coexistence.
For generations now, Earthlings have spread the seeds of civilization to the corners of the galaxy, founding settlements on planets that could support life and robotic mining colonies on planets that could not. The humans searched for extraterrestrial life on the planets but finding none, continued to extend themselves into the far reaches of space. No one truly knows why, after nearly a century of unhindered expansion, an obstacle has suddenly arisen. Whether it was interference with the qubit encoded programming of the unmanned mining colonies, or anonymous alien interception still remains unclear. Through the agony and chaos of the recent upheaval, Earth and her interstellar progeny have only uncovered these seven letters: O-T-H-E-L-L-O.
What is Othello?
The argument for alien interruption is wrought with as much skepticism as optimism. For decades humans have expanded throughout the farthest reaches of the galaxy and for centuries have probed galactic and intergalactic space. In the past millennium scientists have reassured the populous of the existence of extraterrestrial life over and over again; all theories, experiments and tests show that non-human intelligent life must exist somewhere out in the universe. The chance to make such a significant discovery, however unlikely, is bound to eventually happen. Nonetheless, the overwhelming reality is that human interstellar navigation is still in its infancy. So every time something unexplained happens on the rims of galactic civilization, there will always be those who attribute it to aliens. Othello falls into this theory as popularly as any other, that is to say, Othello is a computer hacking alien race.
Another popular theory is that Othello is simply the ghost in the machine, a form of artificial intelligence extant in the fecundity of silicon crystals of unknown chemistry and origin. This theory somewhat borders on the non-human intelligent life theory, except that the former is usually associated with carbon based life forms whilst the latter employs a silicon base. Proponents of this theory are mostly curious computer engineers and graduate students whose thoughts linger in the higher echelons of advanced experimental quantum theory.
There are, of course, a minority of conspiracy theorists who claim Othello to be a secret faction of the Earth Alliance Government, though no one takes these ideas too seriously. This minority of paranoid skeptics only slightly out number those who believe Othello is God, coming for vengeance on an arrogant race from where he was so recently expelled. These statistical outliers are largely ignored by the body politic and wholly ignored by mainstream media.
The most popular theory however is by far the most likely: Othello is the name of a guerrilla terrorist organization; a colony of forgotten space travelers lost on a distant rock. This theory is the result of the rational and scientific majority, whom still employ the wisdom of the ancients: ��All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one.�� Without any other proof of non-human interference it stands to reason that the problem is internal to the human race.
Recent Changes...
Whatever explanation you believe to be true, the fact remains that Othello is a liability that can not be underestimated. Since the first attacks on Earth Alliance outposts in the long arms of known galactic space, no one and no place can be said to be safe from attack. Objectively speaking, these occurrences of terror and destruction haven`t been entirely detrimental for human existence. As the interstellar war increases in intensity so does interplanetary trade. The war has reinvigorated a population that has, in recent generations, begun to stagnate. The hopelessness and desperation of a race complacent in their automated and luxurious lives has found a cause to unite behind. The survival instincts buried beneath so many layers of hedonism has finally been awaken, as a result the war effort has also boosted technological development. Yet, with new technology, new materials are needed and in greater numbers. When Othello`s minions attack and destroy a mining colony or manufacturing plant on some distant planet, the effect is felt all across the galaxy all the way down to Mother Earth. Othello has perturbed the human world on every level and in doing so has become the archetype of terror.
Job Openings...
Othello`s seemingly unfettered ability to reprogram once friendly and obedient robots and machines has created a superstition among the human race. Only machines that are not networked and incapable of full automation have not been dismantled. This has led to the reintroduction of battle mechs; powerful, fast and accurate as a machine, but with a human pilot there is no danger of Othello corrupting the machines circuits and turning the machine against mankind. Independent of the government, mechanized mercenaries have become rampant among the galaxy. With no official affiliations, they sometimes cooperate to battle Othello`s minions, and sometimes fall at odds battling each other. As these space cowboys grow in number, famous heroes and infamous outlaws exhibit the very best and worst of human nature, attracting those unsatisfied with their bourgeois existence to seek the freedom and adventure of mercdom. Those motivated few, scrape together what money they can in order to purchase a basic walker unit; just enough to get them off-planet. In the free market interstellar economy, competition is fierce and in the big empty vacuum of space, only the laws of physics apply.
Credit zo.91.com
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